A cult is any group of people who have a total devotion to their leader.

Any Pastor who encourages you to cut off contact with Christians outside of their Church has the earmarks of a cult.

If a Church leader encourages its members to avoid what other Churches are doing, including concerts, vacation Bible schools, youth groups, and ministries that serve others, they are leaning toward cult-like behavior.

Religious communities thrive on connection and openness, but sometimes, leadership can foster concerning patterns. True spiritual communities encourage growth through diverse relationships and experiences.

Some people are believers in Jesus, but they make the way of Jesus look more like a cult than a community. They push isolation and exclusivity on their people. They seem to be more interested in control than connection. They are not a cult, but they are certainly cult-ish.

Not everything that wears the name of Jesus is from God.

I wrote my post. I reread it and edited it. I was sure it was perfect.

Then I ran it through my software program, Grammarly, and it highlighted three issues I had missed. 

Next, I put it into my WordPress app so that I could publish the post. It will underline statements and provide suggestions on how to improve my writing to make it clearer. This time, it made two more recommendations on the post.

My idea of doing something well may actually be far from perfect. This is true in writing and life.

It does not require me to yell with intensity.  

It does not mean I have to criticize people.

It does not include me complaining about some people’s commitment.

Proclaiming the gospel truth is to shine a light into the darkness. We don’t need to yell, criticize, or complain away the darkness. We need to hold up the truth for all to see, and what lies in the darkness will be revealed.

I was young and inexperienced. Honestly, I had never thought through most of the questions he was asking. His theological background was far different than mine. He had clearly been taught to attack other people, and I was only focused on learning the Bible.

When the meeting was over, I felt embarrassed and ashamed that I didn’t have better answers. For a few days, I had considered quitting. I had let my people down, and worse, I had let myself down. How could I be so stupid?

Finally, I raised my head and tried to move forward. But that day humbled me. I realized I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. There was a new conviction to learn more, read more, ask more questions, and be a better leader.

I have matured greatly as a Christian and a leader since that day, but I will never forget the lessons I learned. Humility, curiosity, and a desire to learn became the cornerstones of my life and ministry.

Every one of us will lose an argument one day about something vital to them. How you respond to that loss can either mess you up and cause you to quit, or it could also spur you to growth and renewed commitment. Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose; what happens afterward shapes your future.

After 32 years in ministry, the Bible has become an integral part of my being. I often quote passages or tell biblical stories without formal citation. This is not because I question Scripture’s authority but because these words have become as natural to me as my personal narratives.

When clarity about sources is important, I will specifically reference the book, chapter, and verse. This highlights when my teaching is grounded in biblical authority rather than personal opinion.

Biblical references flow through my mind almost instinctively when topics arise, a natural outcome of having read the entire Bible more than 20 times and the New Testament countless times more. The more time I spend immersed in God’s word, the more it becomes integrated with who I am.

This same transformation can happen to you. Simply begin by reading something in your Bible, and you may be surprised where that journey leads.

What would happen if you stopped thinking of Church as something you attend? What if you thought about it as something you are a part of?

What would happen if you replaced the word “going” with something else? Something like I am “serving” the Church, or I am “engaged in” the Church, or I am “leading” the Church.

Words matter. Every time we refer to the Church as something you merely sit and consume, we miss the bigger picture of it being something you participate in.

The Church isn’t a building or an event – it’s a community. You don’t just go to Church; you are the Church. When we shift our language, we shift our perspective and, ultimately, our actions.

I’ve spent my life urging people to read the Bible in context. Instead of isolating single verses, I encourage reading complete paragraphs, chapters, and books. When taken out of context, a verse can easily be misinterpreted to convey something entirely different from the author’s intention.

However, developing a comprehensive theology requires more than understanding individual sections. We must also connect related passages throughout Scripture. As some scholars note, we need both a verse-by-verse and a verse-with-verse approach to biblical interpretation. Building a comprehensive theological framework requires drawing from multiple passages throughout the entire Bible.

When interpreting any Scripture passage, we should remember that there is always another verse calling out, “Consider me too before reaching your conclusions.”

There are phrases that echo in conversations, float through memes, and sit comfortably in the comments of emotional social media reels. But few pack as much punch as: “I felt that in my soul.”

It’s not just a throwaway line. It’s a confession. A vulnerability. A truth that, somehow, someone else has voiced something on a profoundly spiritual level.

It’s more than empathy. It’s more than understanding. It’s an emotional response to words or experiences that reach past the mind and the heart all the way to the deepest part of us. That space where our pain hides and our memories linger.

When we hear a song lyric, a line in a movie, a confession from a stranger, a short video, or even a simple tweet, it feels like someone just unlocked a door inside us. This is also true when we read the Bible.

In the book of Hebrews, it says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) I think if that were being written today, he might write, “The word of God will speak to you in ways that you will be able to feel in your soul.” There are lines, chapters, stories, and books that will grab ahold of you at a deep level, and you will feel something spiritual that you never thought possible.

I am often inspired and touched by the writings and videos of others, but nothing hits so profoundly as the scripture.

Last week, the worship program was packed, guests were plentiful, and excitement was in the air.

The Sunday that follows Easter is typically a significant letdown for pastors. Attendance will return to normal, and often below average. The offering will be substantially less. Many guests will not return. The excitement is gone, and the shift toward summer takes over.

Let me be brutally honest: it is emotionally challenging for a pastor. The first four months of the year are exciting, and the last four are exciting as well, but the middle four can be a grind. Over the next six weeks, numerous pastors will slip into despair, with many moving and others quitting the ministry entirely.

You can criticize my assessment, saying that pastors need to grow spiritually, and rebuke me for stating something that all pastors feel but are afraid to speak out loud (due to criticism, judgment, and rebuke). That’s fine; I can take it.

What your Church and pastor need from you over the next few months is YOU. We need you to stay engaged. We want you to keep growing spiritually. We desire for you to continue in worship and not spend every weekend at the lake or chasing travel sports. We need you to give so that ministry can continue. We want you to stay a part of the fellowship. Most of all, we need your love and support.

This Sunday will begin a time of transition for most Churches. Whether the outcome is good or bad, the choice is yours.

In an age of internet access, Google searches, and AI research tools, asking for sources is both fair and necessary. As a preacher, I’m committed to teaching truth, so I spend hours studying Scripture word by word for sermons. But this commitment extends to everything I say, often requiring extensive research.

We tend to repeat trusted teachers without verifying their sources. Recently, while researching the origins of the name “Easter,” I found numerous explanations with few citations. As I dug deeper, I discovered people were simply repeating something they had heard from someone else, resulting in widespread misinformation.

Here’s a simple guideline: treat all information as opinion until you can verify it with a reliable source. Until it is verified, that’s precisely what it is.